This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present techniques, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art. The following descriptions and examples are not admitted to be prior art by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
The present disclosure relates generally to methods and systems for monitoring a condition of an elastic element used in a downhole tool such as a wireline logging tool, a LWD (logging-while-drilling) or MWD (measurements while drilling) tool.
In a downhole of the oilfield or gasfield, various types of elastic elements have been developed to used to provide adequate sealing in such environments. For example, a seal in a field joint or bulkhead and an inflatable packer for MDT (Modular Formation Dynamics Tester) used in a downhole tool such as a wireline logging tool, a LWD or MWD tool, as described in the documents of U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,817,228, 9,051,804, 9,368,901, 9,466,916, U.S. Pat Application Publication No. 2004/0083719, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,886,117, 8,336,181, 8,479,832, 9,175,776 and 9,322,240, the contents of which are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto.
There is a need, however, for monitoring a condition of the elastic element such as a seal and inflatable packer used in the downhole tool to prevent a failure of the elastic element.